The present invention relates to a means for neutron-position detection.
Prior to the invention of the neutron position scintillation detector by the inventors of the present invention, the gas proportional counter was the only neutron position-sensitive detector in existence. To achieve acceptable detection efficiencies in a gas proportional counter, the gas must be at high pressure, and thus a massive structure is required to contain the gas. Also, the space that the gas occupies must have considerable depth. Due to this depth, there are parallax errors or position uncertainties in detection. The massive structure required for the high pressure results in scattering which degrades the angular distribution measurement. In addition to these spatial response problems, fabrication of the gas proportional counter is complex and costly.
It is therefore an object of this invention to provide an improved device for mapping one-dimensional and two-dimensional distributions of neutrons which has an increased neutron detection efficiency.
Another object of this invention is to provide a one-dimensional and a two-dimensional neutron position scintillation detector having an improved position response.
Yet another object of the present invention is to provide a one-dimensional and a two-dimensional neutron- position scintillation detector which concentrates scintillations on a predetermined number of photomultiplier tubes, thereby improving the spatial resolution by increasing the signal-to-noise ratio in the photomultiplier tubes output signals.
Additional objects, advantages and novel features of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon examination of the following or may be learned by practice of the invention. The objects and advantages of the invention may be realized and allowed by means of the instrumentalities and combinations particularly pointed out in the appended claims.